Texas Democrats get ready for a visit by Bill Clinton

WASHINGTON — The most popular Democrat in the nation is coming to San Antonio to campaign Thursday in a tight Texas congressional race. Three days later, he'll be stumping in the close Connecticut Senate contest.

No, we're not talking about Barack Obama, who has his own tough race to worry about.

In the closing weeks of the 2012 election, the Democratic Party's closer is Bill Clinton.

"Bill Clinton is by far the most effective surrogate" in the country, said Ron Schurin, a political scientist at the University of Connecticut. "Bill Clinton is a magical political persona whose presidency looks better and better with passage of time."

In the two months leading up to Election Day, the 42nd president of the United States has been the Mariano Rivera of the Democratic Party, a Hall of Fame relief pitcher trying to protect narrow victories in close election contests.

"Bill Clinton brings glamour, media attention and money," said John J. Pitney Jr., a professor of Amerian politics at Claremont McKenna College. "He left the presidency with a lot of baggage, but much of it fell into the memory hole."

What a difference a decade makes.

In the final year of his presidency, Clinton was invisible on the campaign trail outside of New York, where his wife Hillary was seeking a Senate seat. His approval ratings had plummeted in the aftermath of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the Starr Report and the Republicans' impeachment trial. His party's presidential nominee, Vice President Al Gore, distanced himself.

Potent fund-raiser

Now he's the most sought-after surrogate in his party, a more potent fund-raiser than either Vice President Joe Biden or first lady Michelle Obama, and more popular figure than his party's 2012 standard-bearer. Clinton reminds voters of a bygone era of economic prosperity, low unemployment and, yes, a federal budget surplus.

"He's a great politician," said David Romero, a political scientist at the University of Texas-San Antonio. "He's like on another planet. He has made mistakes in the past, but he conveys a sense of true compassion or empathy."

His oration at the Democratic National Convention received rave reviews for his ability to describe how complicated issues affect average folks' lives. Obama dubbed him "the Secretary of Explaining Stuff."

His visit to Texas on behalf of Democrat Pete Gallego is designed to push the Democrat over the top in one of the party's best takeover opportunities of 2012. Gallego, a state representative from Alpine, is trying to unseat freshman Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco in an evenly divided district, and Texas Democrats say that voter turnout will make the difference between victory and defeat.

A similar 23rd District appearance by Clinton is credited with helping Ciro D. Rodriguez upset Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla in 2006.

Democrats' praise

Democrats, starting with Team Obama, say they are thankful for the gift of Bill Clinton.

"As a former president who faced similar economic and political challenges and pursued a similar path as President Obama, President Clinton is uniquely able to make the case for why the president's vision to keep the country moving forward by building an economy from the middle class out will work, and why Mitt Romney's plan to return us to the same failed, top-down policies of the past simply will not," said Obama campaign spokesman Adam Fetcher.

Some political analysts warn that Clinton's economic record could come back to haunt Obama.

"The one problem in using Clinton as a surrogate is that it might remind folks how much better things were when he was president compared to now," said Timothy M. Hagle, a political scientist at the University of Iowa. "Clinton does his best to sell the idea that Obama is the best choice for improving the economy, but Obama hasn't shown Clinton's ability (or willingness) to work with Republicans. This gives Romney an opening, given that he's emphasized his willingness to work in a bipartisan way."

Summer Ballentine of the Hearst Washington bureau contributed to this report.